WINNERS VS. LOSERS
In traditional sports activities where accuracy can depend highly on muscle memory players can adjust their moves to train their muscles to come up with that winning shot. Clearly, however, in a poker game there is no muscle to memorize. You will be counting on your mathematical memory (no pun intended) to come up with that winning hand. But be forewarned, the right move will not always safeguard you from becoming unlucky. On the other hand the wrong move can still bring forth a lucky draw for you to take down the pot. This will get you to seriously question what separates the winners from the losers.
Let's say you're holding a 9, 8 in your pocket hand and the flop is an A, 10, 7. There's $10 in the pot and the bet is up $8. Without hesitation, you ought to fold not only because you have a weak hand but also the pot odds are not in your favor.
For argument's sake, let's say you call anyway. Miraculously the turn is a 6 and the river is a harmless 2. You take down the pot with your straight but don't think for a second your starting call was a good call.
Winning on this lucky hand doesn't make you a winner. And you should learn to take your focus away from the results whether in prize money, awards, accolades, etc. that could condition you into making illogical moves in the future. Realize that in the long run, moves like this will lose you money.
In another example, let's take your same pocket hand matched with a flop of J, 5, 7. There's $10 in the pot and somebody decides to go all-in for $5. Everyone else folds but you decide to call again. The turn is a J and the river is a 7. Your opponent shows an A,J and you're screeching in your mind "So close! Sooo close..." while you painfully watch him take down the pot. But do not to be discouraged, young grasshopper!
You'll be feeling the sting from that loss, but you had actually made the right decision. You had only contributed 25% ($5 out of a $20) to the total pot and you had also mathematically calculated a 1 in 3 chance of hitting that straight. This time the pot odds were in your favor and to call was to have made a good move.
Sure, winning at the poker table is your ultimate goal but learn to discern these words carefully. You do not want to be tunnel-visioned towards looking for a winning result at every given hand. That will get you cross-eyed. You want to "keep your eyes on the prize," which means to look at the big picture or the long run and not at some fundamentalist literal prize. The level you are capable of seeing each aspect of the game including the "unknown" role of luck which make up that big picture determines how effective you are as a player. Besides, luck often evens out at the end anyway. And losers don't actually know how they won but they sure know how to brag or pretend like they knew about it. Big wins usually aren't determined by one sweeping hand. Many little moves and their journeys toward a climactic position will eventually get you to land that big take down. Don't just play to win. Win over each and every play. And that will make you a winner in the long run.
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